Bessatsu Toshokan Sensou 1, page 12
"And at the end, the girls all say, 'sorry, I can't keep up with you anymore' and break it off..." Komaki appended.
Tedzuka's eyes flashed, and the other two cackled, "Aha!" Tedzuka alone didn't understand the joke, and was completely flummoxed.
"The thing is, men who have gone out with women they're in love with at least learn to match pace with a woman. They don't set off briskly on their own. Any woman who's once dated a man who returns her feelings would know that a man who starts walking without even a glance in her direction doesn't have any interest in her, and would break it off out of exhaustion, I think."
Tedzuka looked down at Shibasaki again.
At the head that didn't even reach his shoulder, her delicate shoulders, her slight build.
--Now he knew better.
I won't make that mistake again, he wanted to declare out loud, but they just didn't have that kind of relationship.
~
After that, they made it to the hospital, without ever making Shibasaki break into a jog. Together, the three of them headed to Doujou's room.
Komaki, in the lead, was about to knock on Doujou's door--but he paused at the threshold.
"Is something wrong?" Tedzuka asked.
"Shh," Komaki hushed him sharply, then quietly pushed the door open slightly. "...We had better go home, Kasahara-san's here."
"What!? She was just here yesterday! I guess she can't get enough of him!"
Tedzuka's eyes flashed, and the other two cackled, "Aha!" Tedzuka alone didn't understand the joke, and was completely flummoxed.
"The thing is, men who have gone out with women they're in love with at least learn to match pace with a woman. They don't set off briskly on their own. Any woman who's once dated a man who returns her feelings would know that a man who starts walking without even a glance in her direction doesn't have any interest in her, and would break it off out of exhaustion, I think."
Tedzuka looked down at Shibasaki again.
At the head that didn't even reach his shoulder, her delicate shoulders, her slight build.
--Now he knew better.
I won't make that mistake again, he wanted to declare out loud, but they just didn't have that kind of relationship.
~
After that, they made it to the hospital, without ever making Shibasaki break into a jog. Together, the three of them headed to Doujou's room.
Komaki, in the lead, was about to knock on Doujou's door--but he paused at the threshold.
"Is something wrong?" Tedzuka asked.
"Shh," Komaki hushed him sharply, then quietly pushed the door open slightly. "...We had better go home, Kasahara-san's here."
"What!? She was just here yesterday! I guess she can't get enough of him!"